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City to repurpose historic 'Maple Leaf Forever' tree

After last week's storm felled the silver maple said to have inspired Canada's unofficial anthem, the city is looking for ways to preserve its history.

The Maple Leaf Forever tree was temporarily stored in one of the city's yards after last week's storm. The wood is being moved to a more secure, indoor facility on Friday to ensure it is properly cared for until the city decides how to repurpose it. (Photo courtesy Economic Development and Culture, City of Toronto)

The Maple Leaf Forever tree may have been toppled by last week’s storm but it will live on — possibly as a bench, a museum artifact, or even the city council speaker’s gavel.

It seemed it was all over when a storm last week felled the historic silver maple said to have inspired Alexander Muir’s “The Maple Leaf Forever.” But, since the storm, the city has been flooded with calls from residents, museums, historical societies and local artisans interested in repurposing the wood and honouring its history.

“It’s absolutely fascinating, the number of inquiries we’ve gotten,” said Rob McMonagle, senior adviser with the city’s economic development and culture office, which is now in charge of the tree. “I would estimate we’ve had at least 50 to 100 inquiries from people who want the wood for some purpose.”

The fallen maple will be moved Friday to an indoor facility. It’s definitely not bound for the scrap yard now, but McMonagle said the city is now evaluating how much wood was salvaged and how to best repurpose it.

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“I think the intent is, whatever way we’re going to use this wood, it’s going to have to stay in the public realm,” he said, adding that this could include museums, local libraries, hospitals and civic buildings. “We’re not going to be giving it to individual homeowners or businesses who want to turn it for their own use or sell it for a profit.”

The hope is that some of the wood might also be turned into a memento for the municipality. Carving a city hall speaker’s podium, a gavel for the council speaker or a coffee table for the reception area are some of the ideas being tossed around, McMonagle said.

The city is also considering the dozens of requests from the public.

One came from a historic militia unit in Toronto, which claims Alexander Muir among its officers and hopes to display a piece of the tree in its military museum.

Another was from a woodcarvers’ association looking to make a wig stand they could donate to a hospital chemotherapy unit.

The Museum of Civilization in Gatineau also called looking for a piece of the historic tree, which they hope to include in their display on the emergence of Canadian national identity.

Michael Finkelstein, a Toronto wood artisan who works with recycled logs, also emailed the city as soon as he heard that the tree had succumbed to Friday’s storm. His idea was to create four handcrafted, nested woodturned bowl sets that he would donate to the National Gallery of Canada, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Ontario Heritage Trust and the tree’s long-time Leslieville home, the Maple Cottage. “I just want to give back to the community,” he said.

Mary-Margaret McMahon, councillor for Ward 32, said she would also like to see some of the wood carved into a bench for its former home — the front of Maple Cottage in Leslieville — as a commemorative gesture to the community.

McMonagle said the city will soon decide the fate of the wood, now in secure storage at one of the city’s yards. A forestry expert will evaluate the wood and determine how much can be put to use.

But Finkelstein, a longtime woodturner, said the city doesn’t have long to decide before the opportunity slips by. Initially, he was told it could take several months to get the logs he requested. The problem is that the wood is rapidly declining in quality.

“It’s degrading and cracking every day,” Finkelstein said. “It’s not going to last very long like this. And then there will be nothing left to repurpose.”

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